". . . it is necessary for us to have an understanding of God himself in the beginning. If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong, it is a hard matter to get right."
-- Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, Ill. April 7, 1844

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Famous Writer in "Ensign"

My wife called me in the room where she was reading and pointed to an article in the Ensign where a byline was showing a familiar name. Sure enough there was "Stephenie Meyer" plastered on the page. I checked the spelling and found there wasn't any discrepancy. I even read "Hero at the Grocery Store" about a woman who helps an elderly lady pay for some groceries. It really is a touching article. None of the scant details proved it wasn't who the name implies.

For those who don't know, Stephenie Meyer is an author of Young Adult books. Her first printed and successful book is "Twilight," about a girl who falls in love with a vampire. She is also a Latter-day Saint who graduated from Brigham Young University. From her official website bio page:

She lives with her husband and three young sons in Phoenix, Arizona. After the publication of her first novel, Twilight, booksellers chose Stephenie Meyer as one of the "most promising new authors of 2005" (Publishers Weekly) . . .

. . . Right now, I'm deeply involved in the editing for book two (more about that in "Other Novels"), getting ready for my first book tour, dealing with five separate drop-off and pick-up times for my kids' schools, and working with a nice personal trainer named Steve in a doomed attempt to erase the evidence that my body has carried three large children to term.

Her newest book is "New Moon," a sequal to her first vampire love story. She is also working on a novel "The Host" for an adult audience. It is about an alien invasion where the aliens have taken over human bodies. One of the humans doesn't completely go away, and the alien has to deal with all the thoughts and emotions of its host. Keeping with the author's theme of romance, the human in question clings to thoughts of a lover hiding somewhere from the invasion.

I am not going to review "Twilight" at this time, although I have read it. My local library has "New Moon" and I am waiting on a list of those who want to check it out. what I do want to say is that, for a YA and romance writer, she is among the best I have read in some time.

There was nothing on the LDS Church's website or her own to indicate if she wrote the Ensign article. I cannot be certain as she doesn't take e-mail questions. The name might only be a coincidence. Hopefully, out of curiosity, someone can clear this up.

I enjoyed Twilight a lot.Jana Reiss, a Mormon and the religion book review editor at Publisher's Weekly, has detailed reviews of the two books at her personal website. They are very interesting.http://janariess.typepad.com/reviews/2005/10/young_vampires_.html

About Me

I am an Idaho native who likes to read and write about a variety of subjects. I graduated with a B.A. in English from BYU. Mormonism, one of my main interests, has fascinated me ever since my early teenage years.